My Last Nom Nom Nom of 2011 - Samsui Ginger Chicken

Samsui women refer to the hardworking women who emigrated from China (mostly from the Canton region) between 1920s to 1949, to Singapore to earn a living working backbreaking jobs in hard labor industries such as construction or as domestic workers. They usually never marry and often live in cliques, looking after each other. At one point there used to be about 200,000 them in Singapore, contributing to the development and prosperity we enjoy today. Now there remains about 100-200 of them in their 80s and 90s. 

From the Liu Kang Exhibition

I saw it fitting to finish out the last meal of 2011 with a dish dedicated to these hardworking women, who were easily identified by their red hats as they toiled under the blazing sun. This dish, samsui ginger chicken, is a very popular dish at Soup Restaurant which extols it as a " traditional Samsui dish consumed by the Samsui women in Chinatown. Due to their low income, the Samsui Ginger Chicken was only consumed once a year, during the Chinese New Year" on their website. 

Samsui Ginger chicken is eaten with minced ginger and lettuce.

Read full entry at 你不饿?

Frohes Neues Jahr 2012~!

*Faint* Why is it that I always sound like a boy? WTF. Schnappi says it's because I am drunk.*haha*

A drunken me wünsche euch alles, Einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!!!!

Arteastiq - This place looks like my kind of Heaven

I walked past this place yesterday. It is so my kind of place... the sight of the words "unlimited supply of acrylic paint" almost made me wet (to quote my favorite character, Death Records President, from Detroit Metal City).

Wow this guy is quite amazing

Mentally added this place to the list of restaurants I want to visit. Poverty be damned!!!!

Singirl - My Big Fat Singaporean Butt

Everytime I think that I komme aus eine langweilige Nation, I come across something that makes me go "WTF?" 

First of all, the display at the Singapore Art Museum is getting increasingly creepy and scary. Yesterday they were doing installations at the first and second floor (remember I missed out on one of the showings, because we were trapped at Orchard Road, two Fridays ago?) but 8Q was having the Amanda Heng showing. Oh Amanda Heng you are a very intriguing woman, but I cannot understand your art, sorry...but I found something that Bär will totally get. Hahaa.

B1 reached earlier than me, because the bloody bus driver did not tell me where to get off and I missed the stop even though I had pressed the bell and had to walk back all the way from bloody Capitol (the poor building that is now going to be destroyed. My government has no appreciation for architecture). He pulled me to this display and said there was a sign that is asking only Singaporean women above age 18 to participate. He asked "take part, take part" eagerly.

Being a naturally paranoid person, I walked around the side, and discovered the reason for the quest...

Is this considered as distributing porn on my blog? But then again I have put worse stuff here.

They call this the Singirl project. 

I note that most of them are young butts because they have tans from wearing bikini bottoms. This is kind of weird and disturbing. The only difference between this and an uncle who loves to take secret up-skirt photos is that this project gets willing participants. I wonder what happens  if a panty-loving uncle asks for participants who want to take part in an upskirt project. Hmmm. In the love of "art" natürlich.

If you are looking for my butt on the website, don't bother. =]

Fireworks at the beach

Von Kari. A photo on the beach. Somewhere in France.

Emperor Elijah, master of irony

A penguin who hates the cold. Wtf. Isn't he ADORABLE?

Btw I would like to point out that I am finally LEVEL 16. Yes, finally. 

This is the shitty i7 I have, which crashes CoH now and then with a German message. Until I am ready to move, I am solely dependent on an old monitor with dead pixels and HELLO KITTY speakers (which are actually quite good, I am quite impressed). It can scream German rap songs and bombing sounds like the best of them.

该大的大，该小的小

I was walking towards the bus stop yesterday when I saw a very sexy lady sitting, back facing me, on a road safety obstacle. Her hair was dyed brown with streaks of golden honey, but it was one of those classy jobs and not a DIY hack job. And her body, even from where I was standing, was pretty magnificient. She was wearing a tight-fitting black dress that hugged her like a glove. As we would say in Mandarin she was  "该大的大，该小的小" (what should be big is big, what should be small is small), tiny waist, perky boobs, tight butt and long legs. I was drooling *it appears I am in my lesbian phase again* and stole stares at her in between rifling through my bag for my wallet.

She suddenly got up and stalked towards me.

That was when I realized, the human skin is the most unforgiving organ in the body. Even though she looks like a twenty year old, ripe-for-the-plucking from the shoulder down, there was no way to ignore the ravages of time on her face. It was blotchy, and scary, you know when women wear makeup heavily and daily, their faces harden to a pretty scary expression...

I was shocked enough to return to wallet hunting immediately.

Later I looked towards the direction of the bus and saw a middle aged uncle paddling towards us on his bicycle. He was also ogling at the lady, whose back was towards him (again?!). Just then she turned and I could see the uncle flinch visibly, and his bicycle was a bit wobbly. He hurriedly cycled past her without another look.

I guess the disappointment is always all the greater when people have developed some preconceived ideals about someone's looks.

I smsed Bär about it. He replied with three words.

"God is fair."

Created a new blog - The Yum Yum Enabler

I wanted to create a new blog to showcase all the funky food I am cooking at the new house. Besides it's time. Even though nibblezware was created with the intention to write about food and technology, I have been focusing too much on the food side, and it is becoming a very personal blog. 

The entries on recipes and food that I make will be moved to the new blog, but restaurant reviews will remain here. However I will post some of the interesting entries over here as well. 

Brot - In search of a crusty French loaf

I wanted to make a crusty french bread ala those books I read , so I used this recipe.

Here are the photos I took at the different stages. I skipped out on the first step, because I wasn't sure it would be successful, but it turned out not too bad, though it was more crumbly than crusty. For crusty I had to toast them in my frying pan (I had forgotten the microwave oven again)

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, oil, salt and 2 cups flour. Beat until blended. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough.

 

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down; return to bowl. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. 

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a loaf 16 in. long x 2-1/2 in. wide with tapered ends. Sprinkle a greased baking sheet with cornmeal; place loaf on baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 25 minutes. 

 

Beat egg white and cold water; brush over dough. With a sharp knife, make diagonal slashes 2 in. apart across top of loaf. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool. 

Merry Christmas to all from Nibblezware

Nibblezware wunscht Fröhliches Weihnachtsfest und Frohe Neu Jahr euch alles!!!!

ich weiss dass meinen christbaum sehr kindisch sieht. Aber es ist noch goldig, nicht wahr? =D

 

 

Pipping Hot Remedy for a Cold Dezember Afternoon

I wanted to make chicken pot pie. I reminded B1 to remind me to take the readymade puff pastry from Phoon Huat's cold food section when it was time to leave. I remembered that the pastry thawed very quickly and it would be a nasty problem trying to separate the sheets. 

  

In the end both of us forgot, until we were at the Night Market and already too far from the supermarket (I did a lot of shopping yesterday for presents, including Kari's *winks*). So I went back today and got it myself together with cornmeal which I needed to bake my crusty french bread.

Hmm I did not know what was the temperature I should set for the oven. I almost forgot that this was my new microwave and not the temperamental bitch of an electric oven we have at home. So in the end I set the oven too high and too long. oopz. We do have a microwave at home but for some reason the electric one gives a better crust so I often have to suffer its idiosyncrasies.

Luckily for some reason I decided to check the baking process and thankfully I did, as you can see, it was slightly burnt on the top. Sigh. Reminder to self: 10 min is fine. 

西洋菜汤

Yet another "it's Sunday, we must finish whatever is in the fridge day". I realize a complication in my "no repeat receipe" motto. Now when will I ever get to drink lotus root soup again...zzz. Obviously didn't think this one through. 

Deep-fried the stinky Norwegian salmon in a cornflour-salt-pepper mixture, and tried to disguise the stench (well it was thawed and not exactly freshly dead) with the Peppercorn sauce I bought from Ikea. Interesting taste, but the bloody fish stank up my beloved, pristine white kitchen. I am also seriously rethinking my position on having a white house. I wanted it mostly white so that my art and food can be showcased more visibly, but damn the house is a bitch to maintain.

The two lazy creatures finally tore themselves from their BF3 and artwork to go downstairs to buy the dried Chinese herbs. So that's why there are some dates and wolfberries floating in the soup, unlike last week's 莲藕汤. I also bought some green beans and mung beans, so we can look forward to some Chinese desserts during the cold December. B1 also bought chrysanthemum which I detest because the bloody petals will be clinging to the teapot and be very hard to clean off. But he won me over with the reminder that he does the washing. =D

Mein Christbaumschmuck

Ich habe dieser Christbaumschmuck mit Filz gemacht. Sind sie nicht goldig? =D

Ich habe diesen Christbaumschmuck aus Filz gemacht. Ich liebe das Rentier und B1 liebt den Schneemann. Er sagte, der Gesichtsausdruck des Schneemanns sagt: was zum teufel mache ich an einem Christbaum?

Die Calla

The Calla Lily. Completed 18th December 2011.

I think I have improved since the Sunflower. However I didn't do many textures for this, having overdone it for the sunflower. I think I would like to have a palette knife for Christmas.

I will probably do another version of the Calla Lily. It is my favorite flower after all.

From a certain little boy's window

Ein Wort. Schnee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Schnee von Munich, Germany =D 

Now that I think about it, should ask him to go downstairs and make me a snow angel =D. Schnee Engel?

Itty Bitty Pancakes masquerading as Cupcakes

I bought this at the John Little sale next door while we were at Expo for the electronics sale. Like I said before, I had gotten the sushi maker set from the same Megahouse series two years ago.

I was incredulous that the box promises so many components. Will there be that many things inside the small box, as shown? A mixer, a cupcake stand, cupcake holders, pipping bags? Actually I have been looking for a cupcake stand, but they are very expensive. Psst, I bought this because I love the cupcake stand. Keke.

Oh yes it does...just that everything is itty bitty. It even comes with tiny teacups and saucers *love~!*

Ingredients + setup

Realized 3 5 (thanks MB for pointing out) things:

1) Turned out B1's Japanese is even worse than my German. He protested that he hadn't practised for a while (major sin in my eyes, maybe I should yank out the wire when he plays BF3). What he could tell me was that the toy expects you to use a cake mix. WTF.

2) I have no weighing machine. My Winnie the Pooh Japanese tea cup leapt to the rescue again. So far it helps me measure rice and  now flour. Hasn't held actual tea yet...

3) I got a recipe for basic cupcakes, because I didn't have my usual more advanced recipes with me. I realized later that I was pouring what essentially was a pancake batter into cupcake holders. 

4) This bloody toy is built for Japanese market (full stop). ZERO English instructions. It wasn't that bad for the sushi maker but became a huge problem when I wanted to bake the cakes. I had already preheated the oven at the lowest temperature available, 150 degree Celsius. But common sense and staring very hard at the Japanese instructions in pink (for fuck) told me that those itty bitty cups wouldn't last in that heat. They can only withhold 90 degrees Celsius, AND I am only supposed to use the Microwave function AND that the cups are only supposed to go in for 2min and 40 secs tops. 

5) I used a colander as a sift for the flour..

I was blasting 92.4FM (classical music station) as usual. I cook while listening to that channel because it doesn't report news (while I am cooking. The news make my blood boil) and it puts me in a lovely frame of mind while looking in the fridge. In between contemplating my evil stare (it read "I am going to yank out the PS3 if you don't tell me something more useful than my Japanese isn't very good"), B1 commented that I was "very cultured leh, baking while listening to classical music". Eigentlich I was a bit mad because 92.4FM played "Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence" only after I finished baking. I almost shrieked like a banshee moments later in the kitchen, because I realize I was living out the fantasy of 我们这一家的橘子.

I had some leftover cream from my Sojabohnen Eis experiment. So with that, flour, butter, sugar and milk, I essentially made a simple pancake batter. The toy was cute, but spinning that bloody thing was ineffectual. I took out my trusty S$2 Daiso whisk, and beat that batter senseless.

I gingerly placed one cup in as a sacrificial tester, and was relieved to see the mixture bubble and rise in the microwave in 2 miraculous minutes. Cute. No other mishaps other than one of the blueberries I chucked in was blown up into the sky (i.e. oven ceiling). 

High tea mit Milch *haha*

I was too eager to take photos, so I dumped my whipped cream onto the cakes which promptly melted it. Haha. Thankfully I only made 8 because B1 refused to eat more than 3, even though I threatened him no dinner unless he ate the last one. 

So adore the bunny pokers. 絶対かわいい!!!!

I didn't think it was possible

But I am in love with my microwave oven. It was love at first sight when I saw him at Best Denki. He is like the electronic version of my dream guy. He can BAKE, grill and reheat food on command *haha*.

And he doesn't need to spin around like the other microwave ovens need to. I was oohing and aahing all over him when B1 and I lifted him out of the box yesterday, like a caveman who is gazing on the first wheel he ever carved out of rock.

Shiny Shiny, 煌々煌々. Touch Touch Feel Feel.

We are going to have so much fun together.

Actually I love National Microwave ovens, having grown up with Dimension 3 and 4 (we are a gourmand family). But I was not able to find National, but I think I am very happy with this substitute. One thing I don't like about him is that instead of being able to press buttons for the timing, I practically have to return to the first rock wheel of turning a lame-ass knob. At least this knob can be pressed in when not needed. So I guess I am ok with it.

Still he comes with an equally sexy Pyrex dish and some other stuff. Look at me, getting high over electronics. But with Mr Microwave Oven, my kitchen is finally complete. The refrigerator made it feel like home, but Mr Oven makes it feel like my kitchen.

Once you go...

I was watching Rules of Engagement, when Timmy tells Audrey confidentally "Once you go brown, you'll keep coming around" (alluding to his boss' wife, Liz's desire for him).

That was funny, and reminded me of Sex and the City's "Once you go black, you'll never come back".

Then what about white and yellow? I searched online but I haven't seen anything nice. So I came out with some outrageous stuff...

Once you go black, you'll never come back.

Once you go brown, you'll keep coming around.

Once you go white, you'll be filled with delight.

Once you go yellow, you'll fuck like there's no tomorrow.

*haha*

We H8 Pumpkin.... as much as Beetroot

Two root vegetables that we hate very much are the pumpkin and beetroot. I hate beetroot on principle because like I mentioned before, meine Eltern use it in juices which I hate. But I had a more favorable impression after trying the butter poached version at Bistro Petit Salut.

I just hate pumpkin too. I guess I hate all vegetables that are too sweet, i.e. sweeter than a carrot. However these two bloody things are cheap, especially as they are in season now. So we must be punished for the sake of the wallet. 

I don't have a wok, let alone a steamer, so I sat Mr Pumpkin on an inverted bowl in my stockpot. I was pleased with myself, thinking Mr Pumpkin will go nice and rotty and we can just dig the meat inwards from the side. Obviously I had forgotten the same principle applies to his bottom. So I encountered difficulties when I tried to lift him out of the pot later, because he had become stuck to the bowl. And... all my delicious chicken stock was leaking from his bottom. I was suddenly reminded of my Neffe.

So poor Mr Pumpkin became a stew instead of a soup because I had to make a sauce out of the leaked soup, which had become very diluted with the boiling water. I also got to try out with my new microwave oven, which I so love very very much. I baked my frozen mackerel (from Norway again. Fuck why is everything from Norway suddenly, especially when I am very annoyed with some of the people there now).

We are grateful Mr Pumpkin had that salty gravy, because his meat was still too sweet. I was trying not to gag inwardly, while B1 steadfastly refused another bite. Seriously it is like having a child sometimes, when I had to implore him to take in more of the gooey yellowness. Ewww. At 50cents, Mr Pumpkin became a culinary punishment.

I had slightly better luck with Mr Beetroot, though he refused to become soft (this is starting to sound very wrong) when I fried him in butter. So I drowned him in chicken stock, which became a plus point because I could use the literally bloody (looking) liquid as my sauce, traumatizing B1 further. Mr Oven came to the rescue and helped me kill the cow again to a merciful medium well done at 5 minutes on grill function. Btw I didn't cook the Manhattan clam chowder soup, Mr Campbell did. I just reheated it. B1 did not comment on the soup, which means he didn't recognize his favorite meat lurking among the carrots. Tsk tsk, why do I bother sometimes...

Calla Lily - 2nd Layer

It is Hentai Time~! The Bikini Song

Kanememo is a horrific anime with the most lesbian overtones I have ever seen. Is that why in anime there is almost always a prerequisite loser boy whom for some inexplicable reason, all the gorgeous AND cute AND little girls in the vicinity will fall desperately in love with? Because if not, the anime will just degenerate (didn't think it was possible) into a major LESBIAN lovefest.

At least this song is cute. The rest of the episode is horrific though, full of the most crappy music ever played in Japanese animation. What? A working girl song...wtf.

A different kind of Picnic

Since I "live so near Orchard" (I already did, it's just that it is even more accessible now), it has become sort of my favorite playground. Yes Borders is gone forever (which is a bitch because now I want to find American books), and so is my beloved Orchard library. But there is still Kinokuniya, where I bitchily read all the gossip magazines for free, dodging the dedicated and equally detemined store guy as he deliberately arranges the display near me whenever he thinks I have read enough, before buying books from other sections *keke*. And I always pay in full sight from his counter, which can't make me his favorite person.

As I wander through Takashimaya, I notice that there is a new eatery, Pique Nique, that replaced McDingdongs. It looks pretty atas and has a very nice layout and ambience, which I like. So when Bär und ich waren Weihnachtschenken shopping, I suggested having lunch there. Of course I had researched the place before I had gone, and learnt that their service isn't very good  and neither was their mac and cheese.

 

 

So of course I must try it. Borrowing heavily on the French aesthetic, Pique Nique has a useless but unique tree like pillar in the middle, obviously an intriguing play on the idea of picnicking under a tree. The botak waiter has a bo-chup face, the bland expression he used a lot when taking orders (which left us wondering if he got whatever we were asking for), but service was prompt, which I love especially for time-strapped lunch. Th cute tall waiter brought the Bär his burger earlier because I had already started munching down mine, even though he was missing his fries. Mr Botak Waiter quickly followed up with a whole plate of fries. Nice.

My Shinjuku Incident burger was not bad, despite my wondering how Shinjuku is this? Quite juicy, even though the patty was torn. Hello, I will check, even if you camouflage it with a runny egg *like*. I love the thick slices of tomato. Actually, I think I can probably match/beat this in quality with my own homemade burgers, but it's really not bad.

The Bär came up with a theory with why the cocoa was not sweet. It is so that the marshmallow cloud (yes, it was literally shaped like one *so very love*) would melt and gooey-sweetify the drink. Yum yumz. Obwohl I would much rather chew on the cloud.

I bought some of the cookies to give to Miss Lovely. She is the sweetest nicest person I have ever met which means that she is always being taken advantage of. Her goodness shines through, literally.  If I were a lesbian/man (whichever miracle that happens first), she would so be the woman I want to marry. I wish I could have half her patience and sweetness, but my inner kitty still goes nuts and scratches me now and then to remind me how catty I am.

Hehe. This is the kind of pique nique I am more familiar with...

Pique Nique
391A Orchard Road
#B1-01/02 Takashimaya Shopping Centre
Ngee Ann City Tower A, Singapore
Tel: +65 6238 6705
Daily: 10am – 9.30pm

Associating music with people

Not sure if it is just me, but do you tend to associate music with people? Say for example, some years ago, I heard a song I liked very much in a person's mp3 collection, and asked for it, then when I was very angry with the person, I stopped listening to the song. I didn't delete it, I just stopped listening to it.

Same thing happened again. I started listening to "Super Bass" around the same time I started chatting with a CoH friend (technically not really, I don't consider playing two games with someone == him being a friend. I added him because he was funny and my friend's brother). But then conversations are always either hot or arctic, so it became quite annoying, indirectly affected my relationship with the CoH friend and kind of defeats my purpose of chatting in the first place (I wanted to forget how frustrating life is).  

And now I find that I cannot listen to "Super Bass" without thinking of that person *pissed* I am not installing any IM in my new computer, and I am considering uninstalling all in the old one. IMs are not worth the trouble.

Calla Lily - 1st Layer

The idiot I am, I bought too many shades of yellow, so I was thinking of painting another sunflower. But I think it's overkill, so I decided to paint my favorite flower. The Calla Lily.

The part where the white meets the yellow was a boo-boo, which I hurriedly rubbed away. =P

Randall Santa's red-assed Reindeer helps him with reversing

[img source: sojusoldier.com]

 WTF?

And here I thought the man just travels forward. I guess the reindeer is there for the situations when Santa forgets a present. Er ist schleißlich alt...

I suddenly feel like shopping @ Abercrombie & Fitch

Forgive the naughty nibblezware. It is not everyday she gets to ogle at good-looking men =D. Like a freaking oasis after years of drought. My god...人不可以自私， 好的东西大家要分享。

Source: EDMW. I don't know and I don't care where is the original source. I am still drooling....How is it that when we were driving past Orchard yesterday, I didn't see them??? Damnit, I cannot see all of them. zzz

So turns out they show up at 1pm everyday until the boutique's official opening. Hmmmmmmmmm. Temptation in the form of washboard abs. Should I go to the new house and kick the bloody computer or should I go down to Orchard road and join my fellow oglers? My favorite guy has to be the cute blond who is from the the NYC branch and was interviewed for the Chinese news.

Hmm on that note,  I should start posting more pics of hot men. It seems that I am continuously mistaken to be either as a lesbian (at best) or a dick who is masquerading as a chick, both in CoH and here.  I guess the blog title really does not help matters. haha

Boys and Girls

Updated  Thank you EDMW *grins*. Hmm everytime I say I like blondies, in the end the ones I like the most are the dark haired ones. kekekeke.

This guy looks like Andrew Garfield.  #1~!!!

You all can see the girls, I will see the boys =D

I like~

 

Eh, I post him for everyone to see, but 不是我的菜